THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. (Applause.)
Thanks for the warm welcome. Good morning. A little more than two
weeks ago, the world witnessed one of the worst displays of natural
destruction in history. Since that time, the world has witnessed one
of history's greatest displays of compassion.

Most of you are members of this great organization, the United
States Agency for International Development. Some of you are members
of non-governmental organizations. All of you are playing an important
role in that compassionate response. The world has taken notice, and
the American people are grateful.

Throughout the many affected regions the loss of life and property
is immense. People and nations throughout Asia and around the world
are working to ease the suffering brought on by this terrible
disaster. The international community has responded with generosity
and compassion, and the men and women of USAID have been at the center
of that response. And I'm here to thank you. (Applause.)

I want to thank our Secretary of State for his fantastic service to
our nation. I want to thank him for recently leading a delegation to
the affected areas to express our nation's deepest concerns. I want to
thank him for keeping my little brother straight. (Laughter.) But the
Secretary is -- anytime he represents America does so with such dignity
and strength. And, Mr. Secretary, you did so again, and the world
better understands our heart as a result of your trip, and I thank you
for it. (Applause.)

And I appreciate Andrew's work. (Applause.) Andrew, you should
take that as a good sign. (Laughter.) Either that, or it's all your
close relatives who are here. (Laughter.) But I really do want to
thank Andrew for not only helping to organize the effort, but for his
travels and his concern and his willingness to put in the long hours
necessary to make sure that which we spend works.

And I want to thank you all for working along with Andrew. I know
the response disaster team of USAID is sitting behind me. Andrew tells
me that the response disaster team went into work the minute we heard
about the disaster. And since then, you've been working long hours. I
appreciate it very much.

We just finished meeting with a group of representatives and heads
of non-governmental organizations, NGOs, all of which are providing
love and compassion and help. After that meeting I must tell you my
spirits were raised even higher than they were walking into the
meeting. There is no question in my mind that the NGOs of America
provide such vital, vital help in times of disaster.

A little later on, I want to make yet another appeal for people in
America to donate money. But I do want to remind our fellow citizens,
as you donate money to the tsunami relief effort, make sure you
continue to contribute to NGOs, because those groups -- we still have
problems in other parts of our country and other parts of the world.
It is essential that your contribution not replace the ongoing
contributions you're making to help the NGOs of America. You should
view the tsunami relief effort as extra help, to help solve the
problem, so that we don't short-change the compassionate needs -- the
needs for compassion elsewhere in our country and the world.

Colin and brother Jeb earlier, and Andy came by and reported to me
what they have seen. The pictures do not do the devastation justice.
They don't tell the whole story of what we've seen on TV, what these
people have seen in person. The devastation was on a scale that none
of them had ever experienced. I think Colin referred to Banda Aceh as
something the equivalent of Hiroshima. They reported that the efforts
are well-coordinated; in other words, there's a huge problem, but the
good news is, is that the efforts -- the compassion, the money, the
hope -- is well-coordinated, and that your work is making a difference
in saving lives and helping people who need help. That's what you're
here to do, and it's working.

USAID personnel in the region responded the very day the disaster
struck. So not only did the response team get set up, but the people
around the world began to move. Your fellow colleagues and yourselves
have been working day and night, 24 hours a day, and we're grateful.
It's not easy, I know, it's hard, particularly in the time of year in
which this hit. But you're doing your job. And for that, I'm
extremely grateful.

I think the intensity of the effort reflects the enormity of the
task. After all, the death toll is estimated at 150,000 people, and
may climb even higher. Among the dead are thousands of children, and
as many as 5 million people are thought to be homeless or without food
and clean water. You're coordinating airlifts of relief supplies to
the affected areas; you're arranging for clean water; you're arranging
for medical aid; you're arranging for psychological help; and that's
important work.

USAID has delivered food, temporary shelter, hygiene kits and
supplies to help people survive. In other words, we've been focused on
the relief effort; now we're beginning to focus on rehabilitation and
rebuilding. And as a result, USAID is arranging small loans for those
whose livelihoods have been destroyed. We were talking about the NGOs
who have been working along with USAID. I think Ruth mentioned the
fact that her agency has now provided a fishing boat. In other words,
we're beginning to help rebuild lives and help people get back on their
feet.

The NGOs, including our faith-based organizations, had been working
in these regions for decades. As the head of the NGO or the
representative of the NGO, spoke -- said, "Well, Mr. President, we have
been there for 30 or 40 years." And as a result of having been there,
there's an infrastructure in place, which is good news for those who
need help.

Not only are these people, the NGOs, expressing the world's
concern, the cooperation between our government and the NGOs has been
superb. And that's important. It is important because we don't want
to have a duplication of effort. We want to make sure that we assess
the needs, and make sure that our contributions, whether they be from
the public sector or the private sector, are spent wisely. And having
listened carefully to Colin and Andrew, and the NGO heads, I can say to
the American people that to the best extent possible, we're
coordinating our efforts.

We're not only coordinating our efforts here at home, we're also
doing a better job of coordinating our efforts with other governments
and international NGOs. We made an initial commitment of $350 million
for relief efforts. That's a commitment from the federal government.
And the NGOs, in turn, are using some of those funds effectively to
meet the needs of the people on the ground. In other words, what we
have done is we made a commitment at the federal level, and we said,
how best to spend that money. And the best way to spend that money is
to actually spend it with people who know what they're doing on the
ground. We don't need to try to -- now is not the time to try to come
up with a new way of solving old problems. Now is the way to use
people who have been solving problems in an effective way to help
people on the ground. And that's exactly what we're doing.

Our military is doing a fantastic job, by the way. I want to thank
our commanders on the ground, and I want to thank our troops who are
representing the best of America. Navy vessels, including the USS
Abraham Lincoln, have moved into the region and they are providing food
and medical supplies and clean water. Helicopters and military
aircraft are meeting critical needs by airlifting supplies directly to
the victims. After all, many of the victims have lived in remote
areas. And so many other places, our servicemen -- like in so many
other places, those who wear our uniform are showing the great decency
of America. And I thank them for that. I can't tell you how much our
government and the people of America appreciate the good work our
military is doing to help relieve the suffering from this crisis.
(Applause.)

The NGOs with which I met tell me about the incredible outpouring
of generosity here at home. And I want to thank all those who have
contributed to the NGOs. I particularly want to thank two former
Presidents -- 41 and 42 -- (laughter) -- or Dad and Bill -- (laughter)
-- for stepping up and helping to raise money. It's important that
Presidents Clinton and Bush do what they have done, and I can't thank
them enough for taking time out of their busy schedules to send out an
appeal to the citizens of our country.

Listen, people want to help. I repeat, make sure that this help
doesn't take the place of other help you're giving, but if you do want
to continue to help, and I ask you to do so, please go to
usafreedomcorps.gov on the web page, and that's a way to make sure your
money -- shows you where to send your money, and to make sure it's
properly used. And, as well, hopefully the legislation I sign that
will allow taxpayers to deduct this month's contribution for tsunami
relief from your 2004 tax returns is further incentive, kind of a
little kick to the heart. (Laughter and applause.)

The United States government and the NGOs that have worked so hard
for so long in the region are committed to this area of the world for a
long time. This is one of these projects that's not going to happen
overnight. The intense scrutiny may dissipate, and probably will, but
our focus has got to stay on this part of the world. We have a duty --
we have made a commitment, and our commitment is a long-term
commitment, to help these good folks in the part of the world that got
affected get back on their feet.

Well after the immediate danger passes, USAID is still going to be
in the hard-hit areas. And I thank you for that. See, you're going to
be helping the people improve their schools and develop health services
and mitigate conflict and reinvigorate local economies, and help build
institutions of democracy, so people can live in peace and freedom.

As our government's leader in relief and reconstruction, USAID and
its predecessors have done this kind of work before. You have done big
jobs in the past, such as the Marshall Plan. And we're committed to
not only solving this problem, but we're committed to the work that
goes on year-round in nearly a hundred countries, countries that
include Iraq and Afghanistan, where you're helping to build -- to bring
a better future to millions of people who have been newly liberated,
and to regions in the world like Darfur, in the Sudan, where you're
helping to reduce deaths and violence in that troubled region.

The efforts of USAID is essential for the foreign policy of the
United States of America. Your efforts and the efforts of others,
especially to create jobs, promote markets, improve health, fight
HIV/AIDS, and help democracy take root, are instrumental to making the
world a better place and to protecting the American people.

From Sudan to Sumatra, the world has seen America at its best
through the work you do. Sometimes you don't get thanked enough. I
don't know how many times a President has been by to say thanks, but --
(applause.) But I'll tell you this: It's my distinct honor to come by
and say thanks. (Applause.) I appreciate your compassion. I
appreciate your love for your fellow human being, and thank you for the
work you do.